This invention relates to an improved distribution system for delivering water to troughs in crossover assemblies of a film processor.
Film processor are known that include containers for processing solutions, such as developer, fixer and water. A sheet or strip of film is fed along a film path through each of the solutions during development of the film. The film is transported from one container to another over crossover assemblies having one or more rollers which help feed the film from one container to another. A Processor of this general kind is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,728, entitled "X Ray Film Processor Rack", which issued on Aug. 1, 1989 in the name of D. O. Hall. A residue of the processing fluid may be deposited on the crossover rollers in such a film processor as the film passes over the rollers. In some processors one of the rollers is partially immersed in a bath of water located in a trough beneath the roller to continuously clean the roller surface. Examples of water troughs for rollers in crossover assemblies are found in U.S. Reissue Pat. No. 30,328; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,230,404 and 4,829,330, for example.
Ideally, water for a trough of a crossover assembly should be introduced into one end of the trough and water drained from the opposite end of the trough in order to provide good circulation of water and in order to prevent water in any portion of the trough from becoming stagnant. Thus, when two crossover assemblies are provided, separate water tubes could be provided to an end of each of the troughs with the tubes being connected to a suitable water supply. While the use of separate water tubes is satisfactory, it also is bulky, cumbersome and requires the operator to connect and disconnect both hoses during assembly, during repair of the processor, and for Jam clearance.
Some film processors have a wash container in which water is delivered to tubes in the wash container and sprayed through openings in the tubes directly onto the film as it passes through the wash container. These tubes may extend from one end to the other end of the wash container and have an end portion that is readily accessible and available as a water supply. It would be desirable to utilize this water supply as a source of water to the crossover assemblies.